When commons are endangered is when we realize their value. With natural resources growing scarce and the remaining ones growing expensive, we are living on our own skin the effects of poor management of both commons and our private goods; so new approaches are needed, not just to protect the social-ecological ecosystem, but to make our lives and our communities’ easier. In this group we exchange notes on how we are organising to protect and re-create commons, and be efficient in collectively using them.
Let’s help one another to discover promising initiatives, and learn from them. Maybe even support them if we can.
We see many grassroots initiatives in Armenia, Egypt and Georgia organizing on Facebook groups, under indicative names such as: "We are the owners of this city. How did these initiatives get started? What has been the best way to mobilize action around the initiatives so far? Which channels have been most successful? What other initiatives should we learn about and maybe collaborate with?
How you can participate
Identify an initiative to build a commons in your city and tell us about it. Is there collaboration involved? What value does it bring to the community? How is it sustainable? If you don’t know of any, ask your friends or social media contacts.
Create a post below telling us what you have found. When you’re done, use futurespotters to share it on social accounts.
What others are doing
In the new sharing economy, the focus is not so much on ownership, but on access to resources. Here is what others are already doing to raise awareness or actively enable commons, generally in a collective manner:
www.shareable.net - Online magazine promoting an economy based on the value of sharing
http://meshing.it – Online inventory that connects users with businesses, enabling access to cheap goods and services at any given moment
Car sharing – A form of collaborative consumption helping to save money from ownership and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Co-housing initiative in Milan – A 32 apartment building hosting 12 families practically living together at lower costs
Couch surfing – Travel community and multicultural network of people offering hospitality to one another for free
http://www.bagborroworsteal.com –Online shop that makes it possible to rent designer accessories at very low rates